Cayetano issues statement after resigning as Speaker

Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano issued a statement, thanking President Rodrigo Duterte, his colleagues, and the people for trusting him.

Cayetano resigned through a Facebook live video just a few minutes after Lord Alland Jay Velasco was officially proclaimed as the new speaker of the House.

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“From the start I have always said that I will abide by what the President, as leader of our coalition, will say. Today, given the untenable political situation that Congress has been placed, and the possible damage to the country if the 2021 budget is not passed on time – I take his admonition to put aside all politics and focus on the budget to heart, and with this, tender my irrevocable resignation as Speaker of the House of Representatives effective immediately. I go now with a clear conscience. I have done my best, I have given my all, I leave with no regrets, and I hold no rancor in my heart towards anyone,” Cayetano said.

Also read: It’s official: Lord Allan Jay Velasco is the new House Speaker

Cayetano thankful for hist term as House Speaker

“I am thankful for the opportunity that my colleagues have given me to serve this chamber, and I will cherish the friendships I have made these past months. We are still faced with the daunting tasks of not just helping the country recover from this pandemic, but of also rebuilding the trust of the Filipino people in this, the House of their Representatives. With this act, I am hopeful that it will pave the way for the constitutional transition for the new leadership. I call on my colleagues – let us restore the dignity of Congress as an institution and as a symbol of democracy, and right the wrongs that have been made in the name of partisan politics,” he added.

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“Finally, to my fellow citizens, I ask for your continued vigilance in ensuring that we – your public officers – live up to the oaths we have taken. Congress has recently made huge headways in pushing for greater transparency and accountability in the crafting of our laws, let us not allow this to be for nothing,” Cayetano said.